New Riddles With Answers - page 25 of 53
How does a dog cross a river without getting wet?
If the river's surface has frozen solid, a dog can simply walk across the ice without ever touching the water.
I have numbers on my face but can't find 13 any place. What am I?
A standard clock face shows the numbers 1 through 12, so the number 13 never appears on it.
What can you hear but not touch or see?
Your voice is audible to others and yourself, but it has no physical form to see or touch.
I can be flipped and broken but I never move. I can be closed, and opened, and sometimes removed. I am sealed by hands. What am I?
A deal can be 'flipped' (renegotiated) or 'broken' without ever physically moving, opened or closed as negotiations proceed, and traditionally sealed with a handshake.
Once I'm 24. Twice I'm 20. Three times I'm inappropriate. What am I?
"X" is the 24th letter of the alphabet, "XX" is the Roman numeral for 20, and "XXX" is a rating label for adult content.
You are a bus driver, 8 people get on, 2 people get off, 2 more people get on and another 1 get off. Finally, 3 more people get on and 2 get off again. How old is the bus driver?
The riddle secretly casts you as the bus driver from its very first line, so no matter how the passenger count changes along the route, the driver's age is simply your own.
What gets bigger the more you take away?
Digging more material out of the ground only makes this opening larger.
What runs but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?
A river runs without legs, has a 'mouth' where it meets the sea, a 'head' (source) that never weeps, and a 'bed' it never sleeps in - all literal riverside terms.
From the beginning of eternity To the end of time and space To the beginning of every end And the end of every place. What am I?
The letter 'E' sits at the end of 'time' and 'space,' appears throughout 'eternity,' and marks 'the end' of both 'every end' and 'every place.'
When it comes to me, you go on red and stops on green. What am I?
Eating a watermelon reverses a traffic light: you keep going through the red flesh and stop once you hit the green rind.
I go up and down at the same time. Up towards to sky and down towards the ground. What am I?
This playground toy has two ends that move in opposite directions simultaneously.
What is something you can hold without ever touching?
You can "hold" your breath by not exhaling, without ever physically touching it.
I come without being fetched at night, hides away as soon as daylight strikes. Although I may look small, I am much mightier than what you can imagine. What am I?
A star appears each night without being summoned and vanishes with daylight, and though it looks tiny from Earth, it is unimaginably vast and powerful up close.
In two years I know, I'll be twice as old as five years ago, said Tom. How old is Tom?
If x is Tom's current age: x+2 = 2(x-5), which solves to x = 12.
What is easy to get into, and hard to get out of?
It's simple to make a mistake that lands you here, but much harder to fix the consequences.
David's father has three sons: Snap, Crackle and?
The riddle names 'David's father,' so David himself must be the third son, not 'Pop' as the Rice Krispies pattern misleads you to guess.
What has a tongue but cannot talk, gets around a lot but cannot walk?
A shoe has a 'tongue' flap and travels wherever its wearer walks, but it has no ability to speak or move on its own.
I always have to work with something in my eye. What am I?
A needle has an 'eye' -- the hole thread passes through -- and sewing always involves working through it.
Flat as a leaf, round as a ring. Has two eyes, can't see a thing.
A button is flat and round with two (or four) holes -- sometimes called 'eyes' -- for sewing thread through, though it can't actually see.
What is it that given one, you'll have either two or none?
Being given a single choice means you now have two possible outcomes to pick between -- or, if you refuse to choose, effectively none.
What has one foot on each side and one in the middle?
A yardstick measures three feet, so it can be thought of as having one 'foot' of length on each end and one in the middle.
You answer me, although I never ask you questions. What am I?
When this device rings, you pick it up and answer it, even though it never literally asks anything.
I will disappear every time you say my name. What am I?
The moment silence is spoken about out loud, it's broken — the word itself undoes the thing it names.
What is used by man, tossed by trees, everywhere but unseen?
Every person breathes air, trees toss it around as wind rustles their leaves, and it surrounds us everywhere despite being invisible.
Take away my first letter, then take away my second letter. Then take away the rest of my letters, yet I remain the same. What am I?
This is a play on the word "letters" -- whether you remove alphabet letters or take away actual pieces of mail (letters) from a postman, he still remains a "postman."
What has 4 fingers and a thumb, but is not living?
A glove is shaped exactly like a hand, with four finger slots and a thumb slot, but it's just fabric or leather, not alive.
I am a number with a couple of friends, quarter a dozen, and you'll find me again. What am I?
A quarter of a dozen (12 divided by 4) equals three, and three has a 'couple of friends' since it's a small, easily grouped number.
I am beautiful, up in the sky. I am magical, yet I cannot fly. To people I bring luck, to some people, riches. The boy at my end does whatever he wishes. What am I?
A rainbow arcs beautifully across the sky, is considered lucky and, in folklore, hides a pot of gold at its end -- said to be guarded by a leprechaun who grants wishes.
You saw me where I could not be. Yet, often you see me. What am I?
A reflection lets you see yourself somewhere you physically aren't, like in a mirror or still water, even though you view it constantly every day.
It's shorter than the rest, but when you're happy, you raise it up like it's the best. What is it?
The thumb is shorter than the other fingers, and raising it in a 'thumbs up' is the universal sign of approval.
I have two legs, but they only touch the ground while I'm at rest. What am I?
A wheelbarrow's two handles ('legs') stay raised while it's being pushed and only rest on the ground when it's set down.
I am rarely touched but often held, and if you are smart you'll use me well. What am I?
Your tongue is rarely poked or touched directly, yet you 'hold' it often in the sense of staying quiet, and choosing your words wisely takes real skill.
Add me to myself and multiply by 4. Divide me by 8 and you will have me once more. What number am I?
Doubling a number and multiplying by 4, then dividing by 8, always returns the original number, so it works for any number.
What is so delicate that saying its name breaks it?
The moment you speak the word aloud, you've made a sound and ended the quiet.
When filled I can point the way. But when empty unmoving I stay. What am I?
A glove filled with a moving hand can point in a direction, but an empty glove simply lies limp and still.
What is always coming but never arrives?
Tomorrow is always one day away; by the time it arrives, it has become "today," so tomorrow itself never truly gets here.
There is a three digit number. The second digit is four times as big as the third digit, while the first digit is three less than the second digit. What is the number?
The second digit must be 4 times the third digit and the first digit must be 3 less than the second -- with digits 1, 4, and 1, that gives 141 (4 = 4x1, and 1 = 4-3).
The day before two days after the day before tomorrow is Saturday. What day is it today?
Working through the wording step by step shows "today" must be one day before Saturday, which is Friday.
How many 9's are there between 1 and 100?
Counting the digit 9 in every number from 1 to 100 -- ten times in the units place (9, 19, 29...99) and ten times in the tens place (90-99) -- totals 20.
What is half of two plus two?
Taken as (half of two) plus two, that's 1 + 2, which equals three -- the riddle's order-of-operations trick.
The man who invented it doesn't want it. The man who bought it doesn't need it. The man who needs it doesn't know it. What is it?
No one wants to need a coffin, families often buy one in advance, and the person who will eventually need it is, by definition, no longer around to know it.
I have a face but no eyes, hands but no arms. What am I?
A clock's face has no real eyes, and its 'hands' are simply pointers with no actual arms attached.
What did zero say to eight?
The numeral 8 looks like a 0 wearing a belt around its middle, which is the visual joke behind the punchline.
I have keys but no locks. I have space but no room. You can enter but can't go outside. What am I?
A computer keyboard is packed with keys and has no locks, yet a 'space' bar and confined layout still let you 'enter' text without ever leaving it.
Which word in the dictionary is spelled incorrectly?
This is a classic trick: literally, the word 'incorrectly' means 'in a wrong way,' so it jokingly counts as the one word that is 'spelled incorrectly.'
I am black when you buy me, red when you use me. When I turn white, you know it's time to throw me away. What am I?
Charcoal starts black in the bag, glows red-hot while grilling, and turns white with ash once it's burned out and ready to be tossed.
I am a kind of coat that can only be put on when wet. What am I?
Paint is applied as a liquid ("wet") to form a "coat" on a surface; once it dries you can't apply that same coat anymore.
I come in different colors and shapes. Some parts of me are curvy, some are straight. You can put me anywhere you like, but there is only one right place for me. What am I?
Jigsaw puzzle pieces come in varied colors and shapes with curved and straight edges, and although they can physically fit various spots, only one location completes the picture correctly.
I make billions of dollars selling Windows. Who am I?
Microsoft is the company famous for making its Windows operating system, which generates billions of dollars in revenue.
Always wooden and covered in paint. It can make you laugh or hide, because something dark is inside. What is it?
A pencil's wooden body is coated in painted lacquer, and its dark graphite 'lead' inside lets you draw jokes or erase and hide mistakes.
Whoever makes it, tells it not. Whoever takes it, knows it not. Whoever knows it, wants it not. What am I?
This is a twist on the classic 'counterfeit' riddle: poison is made quietly, taken unknowingly by its victim, and once someone realizes they've been poisoned, they certainly don't want it.
The more you take of me, the more you leave behind. What am I?
Each footstep you take is itself left behind as a mark on the ground, so taking more of them leaves more behind.
I eat, I live. I breathe, I live. I drink, I die. What am I?
Fire needs fuel and oxygen ('eats' and 'breathes') to keep burning, but dousing it with water ('drinking') puts it out — kills it.
I'm a ring of sliced onion dipped in batter and then deep fried.
The clue directly describes the classic snack: battered, deep-fried rings of sliced onion.
What turns everything around but does not move?
A mirror reflects everything as a reversed (left-right flipped) image, all while the mirror itself remains stationary.
What cannot talk but will always reply when spoken to?
An echo has no voice of its own, yet it reflects back whatever sound or words are spoken toward it.
It's been around for millions of years, but is never more than a month old. What is it?
The Moon has existed for billions of years, but its phase cycle resets roughly every month (a 'lunar month'), so it's never more than about 29 days into its current cycle.
You throw me out when you want to use me and you take me in when you don't want to use me. Who am I?
A ship's anchor is thrown overboard when you want to stop and hold position, and hauled back in when you're ready to sail again.
If I have it, I don't share it. If I share it, I don't have it. What is it?
The very act of sharing a secret means you no longer possess it exclusively -- keeping it and telling it are mutually exclusive.
People buy me to eat, but never eat me. What am I?
People buy plates specifically to serve and eat food on, not to eat the plates themselves.
Hands she has but does not hold, teeth she has but does not bite, feet she has but they are cold, eyes she has but without sight. Who is she?
A doll has all the parts of a person -- hands, teeth, feet, eyes -- but none of them actually function, since she isn't alive.
What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?
A towel absorbs more and more water as it dries other things off, becoming wetter the more drying it does.
What stinks when living and smells good when dead?
A live pig has a notoriously strong odor, but once processed into bacon and cooked, it smells delicious.
Not born, but from a Mother's body drawn, I hang until half of me is gone. I sleep in a cave until I grow old, then valued for my hardened gold. What am I?
Cheese is made from milk drawn from a cow, hung or pressed to lose moisture, aged in cellars or caves, and fine aged cheeses become more prized ("hardened gold") over time.
Dreaming of apples on a wall. And dreaming often, dear. I dreamed that, if I counted all, How many would appear?
This is a whimsical nonsense-verse riddle where the answer simply echoes the dreamlike, arbitrary rhyme of the question.
Did you hear about the soldier who bought a camouflage sleeping bag?
A camouflage pattern is designed to hide things, so the joke is the owner can no longer locate his own sleeping bag.
A mother has 6 daughters. The 1st one was watching television, The 2nd was sleeping, The 3rd was at school, The 4th was playing chess, The 5th was playing his phone, what was the 6th daughter doing?
Chess is a two-player game, so logically the 6th daughter must be the one playing against the 4th.
To have one-third you must give, without me not long you shall live!
People spend roughly one-third of their life asleep, and going without sleep entirely is not survivable long-term.
A horse jumps over a tower and the tower disappears. It's not an illusion or a dream. So where could this happen?
In chess, a knight (horse) can capture a rook (tower/castle) by jumping over it, removing it from the board.
Formed long ago, yet made today, Employed while others sleep. What none would freely give away. Nor any wish to keep. What is it?
A bed is made (tidied) daily, used while people sleep, and no one wants to permanently give up or keep making it.
What do you call a boring dinosaur?
"Dino-snore" blends "dinosaur" with "snore," implying it's so boring it puts you to sleep.
I am a fruit, but I am not eaten. I live in a busy place. I never sleep. What am I?
"The Big Apple" is New York City's nickname, a busy city famously called "the city that never sleeps."
I am you when not asleep; And where the sad come to weep. What am I?
"Awake" contains the word "wake," which is also a gathering where mourners weep for the dead.
My call, I pray, at dawn of day, Shall rest you from your slumber, With job all done, my song all sung, I'll sit on a seat of lumber. What am I?
A rooster crows at dawn to wake people up and, once done, perches on a wooden fence or roost.
What is 8 when 8 is sleeping?
Tipping the numeral 8 on its side (as if lying down asleep) forms the infinity symbol (∞).
What does CLASS stand for?
This is a joking backronym poking fun at students who doze off in class.
I fly without feathers; Sleep when you're awake; I'm not a mosquito and neither a needle, But blood I'm known to take. What am I?
Bats fly without feathers, are active while humans sleep, and some species (vampire bats) feed on blood.
I take you by night, by day take you back. None suffer to have me but do from my lack.
Sleep takes over each night and releases you each day, and people suffer from not getting enough of it rather than from having it.
When you have me not, you want me. But when you have me, you do not know. What am I?
When you're tired you crave sleep, but once asleep you're unconscious and unaware of having it.
Where do daydreamers spend most of their time?
This is a self-referential joke plugging the riddles.com website as where daydreamers browse.
ln your dream, Voldemort is chasing you. "Avada Kedavra!" he cries. The light is two feet away from you. How do you get away?
Since it's just a dream, the easiest escape from any danger is simply waking up.
What do you call a spy who sleeps with a blanket over his head?
"Undercover" puns on both a spy working undercover and literally being under a blanket cover.
During what month do people sleep the least?
The riddle is a pun on "least sleep" meaning fewest hours available, since February has the fewest days.
What do you call a sleeping cow?
This reuses the "bulldozer" pun on "dozing," applied here to a cow instead of a bull.
Why did Silly Billy tiptoe past the medicine cabinet?
The joke personifies "sleeping pills" as if they could literally be woken up by noise.
Why did outlaws sleep on the ground after robbing a bank?
"Lie low" is an idiom meaning to hide and avoid attention, punned here with literally lying on the ground.
There is a man, with his horse he is going to a town. The man went to the town on Monday. He stayed there for 3 days and then he came back on Friday. How? His horse was not tired, he wasn't sleepy and took a rest.
The riddle plays on "came back on Friday" literally meaning the horse itself is named Friday.
I do not breathe, but I run and jump. I do not eat, but I swim and stretch. I do not drink, but I sleep and stand. I do not think, but I grow and play. I do not see, but you see me every day. What am I?
Each verb (run, jump, swim, stretch, stand) is something a leg does even though a leg has no biological functions of its own.
Saws sing it, We snore it, Bees drone it; And one alone ends the alphabet. What is it?
The letter Z represents the sound of saws, snoring, and buzzing bees, and is literally the last letter of the alphabet.
How do you get a baby astronaut to sleep?
"Rock-it" is a pun on "rocket," a vehicle astronauts use, and "rock it" meaning to rock a baby to sleep.
Where do butterflies sleep?
This joke riddle invents the pun 'caterpillows' -- combining 'caterpillar' and 'pillows' -- as where butterflies supposedly sleep.
What question can never be answered with a Yes?
If you're asleep, you cannot answer at all, so the honest answer "yes" can never actually be spoken.
I am six letters. When you take one away I am twelve. What am I?
"Dozens" has six letters, and removing the final "s" leaves "Dozen," which equals twelve.
What always runs but never walks, often murmurs, never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a mouth but never eats?
Each clue is a play on words describing a river's features: it "runs," has a "bed," and a "mouth" where it meets the sea.
Fred is listening to the radio when it suddenly stops playing. Nobody is with Fred and nobody touches the radio. A few seconds later, the radio resumes playing. How can this be?
Driving through a tunnel temporarily blocks the radio signal, causing the broadcast to cut out and resume once Fred exits.
What's a plumber's favorite song?
It's a pun on the classic song "Singin' in the Rain," swapped to "drain" for a plumber's theme.
What pets make stirring music?
"Trumpets" contains the word "pets" hidden inside it, along with being a musical instrument.
The letters of the alphabet but only just a few; It's hard to say if I was invented or just discovered by you. What am I?
Music, like the alphabet, is built from a limited set of "notes" or symbols, and it's debated whether it was invented or discovered.
What was the pilgrim's favorite type of music?
"Plymouth Rock," the pilgrims' famous landing site, puns on the music genre "rock."
What is the noblest musical instrument?
"Upright" plays on both the piano's physical shape and the meaning of honest, noble character.